19th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 08-08-2022

Ezekiel 1:2-5, 24-28 / Matthew 17:22-27    

Most of the problems in life come about because of two reasons.  

One is that we act without thinking, and the other is that we keep thinking without acting.

In the gospel, when the collectors of the half-shekel asked Peter about the payment of the half-shekel, he immediately replied with a “Yes” without thinking much about it.

But when Jesus reasoned out with him about the payment, Peter found himself stuck in-between.

He must have tried to think of a way out, but there doesn’t seem to be a solution.

Jesus didn’t want to make a big fuss out of it, and so He provided a solution for Peter to act upon it.

So, from Peter we must learn not to be too quick in giving a reply, but to think about the question.

From Jesus, we learn that God will show us the solutions to problems, but usually it is not in a way we expect, like finding a coin in the mouth of a fish.

Let us ask the Lord to give us the wisdom to think before acting, and the faith to believe in the ways of God in seeking for solutions to life’s problems.

19th Ordinary Sunday, Year C, 07.08.2022

Wisdom 18:6-9 / Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19 / Luke 12:32-48

Tonight, when we call it a day and go to bed, there will be a few things that we will do. 

We will brush our teeth, and that means we won't be eating anything until breakfast the next morning. 

We will change into our pyjamas, and that means we won't be going out anywhere during the night. 

We will also switch off our handphones and that means that we won't be contactable, nor would we be communicating with anyone during the night. 

And we will also switch off the lights. It is not just about saving electricity, but the fact is that we won't be doing anything that will require the lights to be switched on. 

So, as we can see, going to bed at night is not just about diving in and snoring away. We actually have a procedure and a preparation when we go to bed. 

Whatever the procedure and preparation may be, the purpose is to sleep peacefully, to rest well and to be fresh and ready for the next day. 

As the saying goes, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise”. That is certainly a good practice to follow, so as to have a reasonably healthy lifestyle. 

But, in the gospel, Jesus seems to be telling us to stay awake for the night, to be dressed for action and to have the lamps lighted up. 

He tells us to be alert and to be ready, and He uses the parable of the servants waiting for the master’s return from the wedding feast, even if he comes late in the night or at an odd hour. 

Of course, Jesus wants us to rest well at night. But He is also asking us how prepared are we to expect what will be coming up during the day. 

Jesus wants us to be healthy and strong, so that we are able to be ready to respond to the call of service at any time during the day. 

We are to be ready and alert whenever Jesus calls us to help others at an inconvenient time or at an unexpected moment. 

In other words, we must be ready to love and to serve at any time during the day, or even at night. 

As we think about that, let us remember how we prepare to go to bed at night. We brush our teeth, we change our clothes, we switch off the lights and we do whatever to ensure we rest well and sleep peacefully. 

But then, how do we begin the day? The alarm clock wakes us up, we jump out of bed, we rush because we were running late, and we get flustered and frustrated.

But just as we make preparations to go to bed, we also need to make the preparations to get out of bed. 

A good preparation will make all the difference between being ready and being caught by surprise, between being alert and being careless. 

Yes, preparation makes all the difference. Here is a short reflection and it is called “The Difference” (Author: Alan Grant). 

I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day. I had so much to accomplish that I didn't have time to pray. 

Problems just tumbled about me, and heavier came each task. "Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered. He answered, “You didn't ask," 

I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on, grey and bleak. I wondered why God didn't show me. He said, "But you didn't seek.

I tried to come into God's presence. I used all my keys at the lock. God gently and lovingly chided, "My child, you didn't knock." 

I woke up early this morning and paused before I began the day. I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray. 

Yes, that prayer preparation at the start of the day will make all the difference. 

So, sleep earlier, wake up earlier, begin the day with prayer, and we will be ready whenever Jesus knocks at an inconvenient time or at an unexpected moment, to call us to service. 

And when we open the door to serve others, we also open the door to abundant blessings for ourselves. 

And we will also sleep peacefully at night.

Transfiguration of the Lord, Saturday, 06-08-2022

Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 / 2 Peter 1:16-19 / Luke 9:28-36   

The Transfiguration is one of the the significant events in the gospel narratives about Jesus. The other significant events are Baptism, Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension.

Like the other significant events, it is about Jesus and it reveals His identity as well as His mission.

Certainly there is no speculation about the voice from heaven and its content - "This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him."

And the setting on the mountain with the appearance of the Moses and Elijah point to the meaning of the event.

And that is, in Jesus, the Law and the prophesies of the Old Testament has been fulfilled.

Also in Jesus, divinity has dwelt among humanity, and in Jesus is the connecting point and the bridge between heaven and earth.

So for those who believe in who Jesus is, there can be no other alternative options in life to follow.

As St. Peter would say in the 2nd reading, his faith in Jesus is not any cleverly invented myth, otherwise everything will fall apart sooner or later.

And for us who profess our faith in Jesus, then He will be the lamp lighting our way through the dark until the dawn comes and the morning star rises in our minds.

Yes, we have to listen to Him as the voice of the Father has commanded us to do.

When we listen, and truly believe, we too will change and be "transfigured" like Jesus.

18th Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 05-08-2022

Nahum 2:13; 3:1-3, 6-7 / Matthew 16:24-28   

In life, there are generally two types of problems.  

The first is whether the problem can be solved with money.

If the problem can be solved with money, then it isn’t really a problem.

The second can be a difficult problem when money is not the solution, or when the cost of solving the problem is at too exorbitant price.

In the 1st reading, the problem for the people of God was their arch-enemy, the Assyrians, who have rampaged them and caused much destruction.

No amount of money can stop the Assyrians, and so there was no solution to their problem.

But God tells His people that He is their solution, and that He will deliver them from their enemy and they will have peace.

In the gospel, Jesus reminds us that all the money in the world cannot be exchanged for our life.

But when we take up our cross and follow Jesus, then we will know how to live our life here on earth and also have eternal life in heaven.

And that kind of life, no money can ever buy.

18th Week, Ordinary Time, Thursday, 04-08-2022

Jeremiah 31:31-34 / Matthew 16:13-23 

When we know how great our God is, then we will be giving thanks to Him with our every breath.

God is great because He is all-powerful and almighty.

God is great because He is all-loving and forgiving.

God is great because even though we have sinned and were unfaithful to Him, God still makes the first step in offering reconciliation.

He keeps repeating that He is our God and that we are His people.

And God also says in the 1st reading: Since I forgive their iniquity and never call their sin to mind.

Just as Peter proclaimed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, we too must proclaim that God is great and all loving and forgiving.

But just as Peter became an obstacle almost immediately after his profound proclamation, may we too be aware that we can fall easily into sin and be an obstacle for others.

But when we give thanks to God constantly with our every breath, then God will also constantly be by our side for we are His beloved people.

And we also heed this spiritual advice from St. John Vianney: Here is the rule for everyday life – do not do anything which you cannot offer to God.

18th Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 03-08-2022

Jeremiah 31:1-7 / Matthew 15:21-28     

Whenever a person embraces a religion, there is usually a purpose.

Not many would embrace a religion just out of curiosity or out of novelty.

When a person inquires about a religion, there is usually a need.

It could be a lingering pressing need, or it could be a desperate need.

In the gospel, the Canaanite woman came to Jesus not of curiosity.

She had a need, and it was a desperate need. 

She was not looking for religion, but she knew who could help her in her desperation.

She knew Jesus was the Son of David, and she also knew that He could do for her what others couldn't. 

But in the 1st reading, God had to remind His people that He is their God.

Only He could save them from their enemies and grant them peace and joy.

May we also know that Jesus is our only Saviour and He can do for us what others can’t.

And let our prayer be: Lord Jesus, save me.

18th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 02-08-2022

Jeremiah 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22 / Matthew 14:22-36    

The power of imagination is amazing, wonderful and even incredible.

When we stop imagining, life comes to a stand-still, and creativity and inventions will also cease.

But of course, it depends on what is stirring up the imagination and where is it leading to.

In the 1st reading, God’s people were punished severely for sinning and being unfaithful to God.

But through the prophet Jeremiah, God was also telling His people to imagine a time of restoration, a time of healing, a time of joy.

And God tells them that it was not a futile imagination, as He reiterates that they shall be His people and that He will be their God.

In the gospel, the disciples were in a boat and battling a heavy sea, when Jesus walked on the water towards them.

Under those circumstances, and in their fear, they imagined that it was a ghost and that the worst was going to happen.

But Jesus dispelled their fears when He said, “Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.”

When we think about what we are imagining, do we feel anxious and fear the worst?

But let us always imagine Jesus walking towards us and inviting us to walk with Him.

Then we will be filled with what is true, good, loving and beautiful. And we will also be healed of our fears and anxieties.